Spring Break!

Spring Break is the one thing that school aged youth are clamoring for by April, other than Summer Break that is. It means that school is three-fourths complete and it’s almost time to shed the jackets and pants in lieu of shorts.

While kids may look forward to it, many parents may have mixed feelings about it. For working parents who don’t plan to take the week off it could mean looking for needed childcare. For stay at home parents it could mean a loooooong week with the kids and a few headaches. For working parents taking the week off and planning a getaway it could mean “needing a vacation from your vacation,” which usually is my case.

More often than not, my lengthy getaways are with the kids and usually centered around their likes, or experiences I want them to have. But as of late, their extracurricular involvements have been shaping our getaways. Case in point, this week we are spending our time off in Coastal Georgia as my daughter and her junior Girl Scout troop explore the hometown of Juliette Gordon Low.

Savannah is a city we know all too well as my daughter was born there and we visit quite frequently throughout the year. But as often as we visit, the area adds something new every time and I learn a new historical fact every time. The city is rich with history sometimes dark and spooky but all very interesting.

So once my daughter decided that she wanted to do the trip this year (she made the same trip last year with her old troop as did I), I had to decipher whether “she” or “we” would make the journey. Last year it was encouraged for mothers to attend making it a mother/daughter affair for the duration of the trip which meant my son would be elsewhere. Luckily he was able to make the journey with us but not partake in the activities which worked out fine because he spent the week with family from Savannah, Florida, and California (barely missing us.)

This year’s troop leaders also encouraged toggling along, with my son in tow, and being as active or less active as we wanted. He was all in favor of the trip because he very much wanted to see the Juliette Gordon Low home place, take the dolphin and ghost tours which are likely the only local activities he hadn’t done yet. Plus it meant gelato, taffy, fresh seafood, and the beach for at least six days—he was in.

So while my daughter and her troop would be bound for a Tybee Island beach house, he and I could spend our time wherever we chose. We opted for a few days in a swanky downtown Savannah hotel with a refreshing view and food service where we could walk anywhere necessary and the other relaxing with family.

Packing for my daughter began weeks ago, yes she’s that type. She makes a list of all planned and possibly unplanned activities and then coordinates outfits, accessories and shoes to those activities. And then there are the contingency outfits, yes she is an over packer and will swallow up any space available if allowed. On our road trip to Wisconsin last year that tiny 10 year old packed her midsize suitcase and three extra bags—her uncle didn’t have the guts to tell her to condense so she and her stuff occupied the entire third row seat. In an effort to weed out another situation like that, I upgraded her suitcase to a large with several compartments and she still manages to over do it.

Now my son, completely opposite, he could not care less what’s in his bag or who packs it just as long as he has one. But what he does care about is which devices he is allowed to bring – X Box, PS4, or Switch doesn’t matter just as long as where we hang our heads has WiFi and access to food at any moment.

For brief trips he is not allowed any devices unless they are mobile and leaving the charger behind is not an option. I am quite pleased to announce that this trip he has opted to bring a couple of his Dogman books for the drive instead of his mobile device. My little guy is growing up and has found his love of reading!

School breaks for me are cool. If not traveling, it allows me and them to sleep in a little later, no fussing with packing lunches, no trying to beat the morning bell, and no long lines for pick up. Their grandma anticipates their coming when school is out and sometimes feels deserted when they opt out of time with her which is not often because they know they can count on grandma for home fried chicken and McDonald’s runs for smoothies and fries.

Trip breaks are trickier if you are trying to fit a bunch of stuff into a few strategic days by the end you tend to be more tired than rested from your break. It’s all worth it in the end I guess, ask me next week and I will have an answer.